From out of nowhere
by Elf Toshiba
Summary: THIS STORY IS ON PERMANENT HIATUS. I'm completely re-writing it...I feel like this needs to be done, badly. Thank y'all for your support with the original storyline; I hope the re-done version gets the same support. Thanks again for reading, y'all.
1. Latitude 30 aka Burmuda Triangle

A slow succession of words was cut short as a tall sandy haired man turned a silver key to halt the boat and drop anchor. The sudden lack of music and noise jolted a young woman into full consciousness. She blinked her grey eyes and lifted her head to glare mildly at the man.

"Aw, what the hell? Brian, why'd ya turn off the music?" she called, propping her tanned form from the pristine white seat covers with her elbows. "Damn, what time is it?" She sat up and began unwinding her long, dark brown hair from it's braided bun.

_Time to wake up? _A voice said sarcastically. Pepsi rolled her eyes. Stupid inner voice, always annoying, never helpful.

_It's what I do, kid._ Jerk-off.

"It's almost nine. We're going to go deep sea night diving, remember?" Brian Kluningum answered his sixteen-year-old cousin. He shouted into the lower deck. "Jason! Carl! Get your damn asses up here! It's time to go!" The boy turned around. "P.C., you sure you don't wanna come? It'll be fun!" Brian grinned cockily, as his cousin shot him a wry grin and snickered. She knew he was trying to distract her from the events of the day before.

_He can always try. Ain't always that easy, is it, Pepsi?_

Jessica 'Pepsi-Cola' Endemion cocked an eyebrow. "Brian. I am on this boat with three guys for the next two days. I need _some _time to myself," She rose from the seat and placed her hand gently on his sunburned arm. "Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine. All I plan on doing tonight is drinking, smoking, sleeping, maybe do some writing while my muses are a tad drunk." Pepsi laughed lightly, mischief shinning brightly in her grey eyes.

"Don't'cha know that that shit'll kill ya, kid?" Her uncle, Carl Ploche, called merrily as he hauled twin scuba tanks up the ladder. He grinned cheekily at her, brown eyes laughing as he ruffled her nearly waist length hair.

_He does have a point._ The girl told the mental voice to go to hell. _There's always Hank. He's almost done it twice, remember? _Pepsi flinched mentally. Shut up. _Not happening, kid. Someone's gotta keep your stupid ass alive._

Pepsi smiled softly. "Yea, yea. Everything in this world is a killer." she snorted, eyes far away for a moment. "I _promise _I'll quit smoking - after high school. So, see? That's soon!" Her uncle laughed at her antics as he placed the two tanks on the deck. He turned around and grabbed a second load of scuba gear that was sent his way by the elder of the two Kluningum brothers, Jason. "Everything will be fine, Uncle Carl."

_Sure, as long as you don't go home anytime soon. _No shit?

Carl looked at her, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "Yea, kiddo, that's what they all say. That is what they all say."

"Hey, Pepsi. Nice to see you up and around. You coming?" Jason called, loading the last oxygen tank to the deck and clamoring up. "How's your cheek?" He glanced at the still dark bruise.

"Nah, I'm not coming tonight. And my cheek is fine; still a little sore though." she answered, picking up her shirt and placing it over her tan shoulders, self-consciously rubbing her left cheek.

_You've been hit harder. Don't worry about it. He won't be able to hurt you anytime soon. _Anytime soon? He'd be able to hurt her as soon as she went back home.

"I'll be fine, just leave me the keys so I can listen to my music, okay?" she said with a bright smile, beginning to walk down to the under deck. "Where's the beer?"

Her uncle answered. "In the fridge. And don't drink more than three. I don't want you falling off the boat 'cause you're drunk, got it? The coffee grounds are next to the coffeepot which is under the cabinets on the left side, and don't forget to drink some water either, okay? If anything happens don't hesitate to blow the horn. We'll be back in a few hours, most likely before midnight."

Carl muttered darkly as an after thought, "I still can't believe Hank hit you like that."

"'Kay." she replied, signaling she wanted that part of the discussion to be terminated. "I'll be _fine_, y'all! Have fun." Pepsi fully made her way to the under deck and opened the smallish white fridge. She listened for a moment as her family suited up and began jumping into the cold water. She sighed heavily and raked her fingers though her hair.

_Be on guard tonight, kid. _What the hell was the voice on about this time? _Just listen to me for once in your damn life, okay?_ Alright… whatever it said…

She pulled out a Corona and popped it with a little trick her cousins had taught her, added a slice of lime and began to drink it. "Ick…lite beer. Gross." With that, she placed the bottle on the counter and went to the small 'room' to change.

Stripping out of her bikini top, she pulled on a white bra and stepped out of her bikini bottoms and jerked on a pair of underwear before pulling on her favorite pair of cut off shorts. She picked up the loose articles and placed them carefully in her bag before pulling out a navy blue tank top and her favorite long sleeve button down blue plaid shirt, putting them on and leaving the over shirt unbuttoned. She grabbed her wallet out of habit and placed it in her back pocket. She sighed as she placed a hand softly on her bruised cheek before pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

_Well, if tonight goes right, you won't have to be scared for a little while, at least. Well, not of Hank._

Pepsi rolled her eyes skyward. "Stupid asshole." she muttered, referring both to her step-father and the voice, walking back to her abandoned beer and pattering bare foot up to the top deck. She glanced into the dark waters, looking for any sign of her family before settling down and laying on her back, looking up at the stars.

"Wow…" she murmured, her now-blue eyes growing as she took in the sight of the celestial body that was above her. She lifted her beer and took a quick gulp before setting it down again. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a shooting star. She gasped aloud and shut her eyes.

"Star light, start bright, shooting star in the skies tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish come true tonight. I wish…" Pepsi trailed off, completing the wish in her head. '_I wish I could just leave. No one wants me here. Please, please send me anywhere…but here_.' She opened her eyes and laughed softly at her own childishness.

_You never know, kid. It just might work this time. _Pepsi rolled her eyes again. The voice was being an evasive jerk, as usual.

She stood up, smoothing back her bangs and tugging on her ponytail before checking the little dials and other nautical looking things that told where they were, the time, temperature, and practically everything else that the captain would need to know. She glanced offhandedly at the one that had to do with their location as she turned the boat back on. Latitude 30. She did a double take. '_Latitude 30? Isn't that where the Bermuda Triangle thing is?_' The time was 9:17.

_I'll tell you again, kid. Be _careful _for fuck's sake. _What was going on? The voice sounded almost…worried. Weird. _Just remember the time, got it?_ Okay…sure. The time was 9:17, right? _Just remember the time, damn it. _Got it, remember the time.

Suddenly the boat shook. Not just a simple shake, but one like something had taken a hold of it and whammed it against a wall. "Fuck!" she shouted, careening into the metal poles that stood sentry at the sides of the boat.

"_Shit!_" Pepsi cried out, struggling to get to the boat's horn so she could warn her uncle and cousins. The next thing she knew, an explosion sounded and she was thrown backwards and slammed against the mast, nearly losing consciousness as her head snapped backwards. The boat quaked again. The last thing that crossed Pepsi Endemion's mind was that she just wanted to fade into the blackness.

_Good luck, Pepsi._

_XXXXXX_

Hey, y'all! Guess what? I'm not dead! Ho-hah! I'm working on revising all of the chapters in this story, while I'm still stalled on Chapter 11. While I'm revising, I'll also be working on three one-shots:

Why Pepsi hates fighting

How Pepsi got her nickname (going more into it)

The reason Pepsi was sent back

Hope y'all like 'em!


	2. A Dastardly Attack and A Daring Rescue

When I came around, which led my brain to start pulsing in time to my heart - just so you know, I felt like I had been hit over the head - several times - with a sledgehammer.

_Easy, kid. Be ready for anything. _What the fuck? That sounded a lot louder then normal…

"Jesus H. Christ…fuckin' shit." I moaned, rolling over and blinking rapidly to adjust my eyes to the sudden intake of light that pierced them like millions of tiny shards. I definitely had a concussion. I was damn familiar with the signs. I laughed inwardly as I shut my eyes again. _'I've sure as hell had enough in the past ten years. Least it's not a bad one, this time._'

_Yea, no shit. You just can't stop getting head injuries, can you?_ I told the voice to shut it - and received a mental smirk for my efforts.

As I went to sit up and gather my surroundings, trying to figure out why I was sitting on hard ground instead of on the boat, I heard a car door slam. The sound of it reverberated through my already aching head. I cracked an eye open and was confused to see nothing but an empty lot and five well-dress guys coming up to me. I thought that they might try to help me, but one look at them squelched _that_hope. There was nothing but lust in the biggest guy's blue eyes.

_Stay calm. Don't show any fear. You know the drill. _Right. Show no fear with a pounding headache. Sure, I can do that. No sweat.

I tried standing up on my own before deciding that staying on the ground was the best idea for the moment.

_Shit…this just went from bad to worse_. I tried telling the annoying voice in the back of my head to shut up and got a mental one finger salute. I snorted.

This is what happens when you have an over-active imagination - an irritating voice in the back of your head. I've come to call it my overly obnoxious conscious - first time I called it that, it laughed at me. It's damn loud sometimes, too. I didn't mind it too much; it kept things from getting too boring - at times. Other times, it just aggravated the shit out of me.

"Well, well, well. What'd ya know, boys?" he spoke, coming closer, "Looks like we got ourselves a little greasy chick to play with." His voice reminded me of my step-father's when he was drunk. I unconsciously backed up, trying to stand, but failing - again.

_Greasy _chick_? Who the hell does this son-of-a-bitch think he is!?_ For once I was in full agreement.

"Wonder if she belongs to that Curtis group." another voiced, coming to stand nearly over me. I mustered up a glare and directed it at the boys who had just made it to the top of my shit list. _Not _a good place to be, trust me. I just hoped that the situation would defuse and soon. The looks on their faces, though, made me wonder how soon was _soon_.

'_Okay, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic…_' I began repeating that like a mantra in my head, praying to whatever power that was up there that this was some terrifying, alcohol induced dream. I angrily bit back the tears that were trying to burst forth.

_Fuck_ that._ Show no fear. _I agreed with that voice again. Wow, and it was twice in one day. A rare event in any case.

I could feel my heart beginning to race. '_Adrenaline is good. I can use it._'

"Well, what d'ya say we have some fun with her?" The first guy said, cracking his knuckles. Before I could do anything, I felt myself being hauled up off the ground and shoved into something. A third guy grabbed my arms and held tightly them behind my back to prevent me from getting away. I tried bucking backwards, aiming for his nose. I missed.

_We need to work on your aim, kid._ No shit, asshole!?

It was clear to me then that they could easily kill me or rape me. I went wild, lashing out with my feet, legs anything that wasn't being held.

_Damn it, Pepsi-cola, take it easy! They ain't gonna kill you! _

'_Easy for you to fucking say! You haven't spent most of your life getting the shit beaten out of you!_'

I threw my head back again, feeling it hit something and hearing the boy behind me cry out. I felt my legs collide with something, moments before I was yanked forward and thrown on the hard ground face first, barely noticing the bite of the gravel and grass on my palms when I tried to catch myself. '_Hope I got one of the stupid bastards in the nuts._'

_Think you did, kid. Good job._

That was when I started screaming.

"Shit! Shut her up!" one of them shouted, knocking me over and holding me down, shaking me hard enough that I saw stars for a minute. When one guy tried to me grab me up, I saw red and began bucking wildly and screaming even louder. I heard loud, dangerous laughter before I saw one of them pull out a switchblade and flip it open.

'_Screw this not showing fear shit. I need help! Now!_'

"Let's shut her up for good." he laughed.

I took a deep breath before letting loose a wild, terrified scream that tore at my already sore throat and blasted through my head. Then next thing I remembered, was that blade coming down to my chest before it careened and nearly hit my shoulder. I felt the blade nick slightly at my skin.

Suddenly, the heavy weight on my stomach was removed. I tried scrambling back, away from the boys. Then abruptly, a foot came out from nowhere and cracked me pretty damn hard on the side of my head.

'_Chalk up one more damnable concussion for me._' I thought woozily, hitting my knees and grabbing my pounding head. The last thing I remember before almost hitting the ground face-first - for the second time - was the rush of footsteps, two boys with big black eyes and green eyes and one of them grabbing me and keeping me from smacking my head, again.

Before I blacked out, I'd had time for one question. "Did I get the bastard's nose?" The two boys nodded. "Oh. Good." Blackness surrounded me.

_XXXXXX_

I watched as Johnny supported the now unconscious girl. She was sorta pretty, with long brown hair and a tan complexion. Her shirt had been unbuttoned, and whether that was because of the Socs, I wasn't sure. I glanced again at her again as Johnny shifted her position so her head was resting against his shoulder and her long legs dangled off of his.

"How's the girl?" A voice above my head made me glance up and squint into the bright sunlight. My older brother, Sodapop Curtis, was standing above me, looking towards the girl. Johnny shrugged.

"I think she'll be okay. Any of y'all seen her before?" His soft voice held a little worry; he had been beaten up by Socs before and he knew how it felt. "She…did she end up breaking someone's nose?"

"She sure did. I saw it." That was Dallas Winston. "I've never seen her before. We bringing her to your house, Darry?" He lit up a cigarette and glanced down at her, checking on the bruise already formed across her cheek.

"Sure. Johnnycake, you sure you can carry her?" Darrel Curtis, my oldest brother, asked, bending down to our level. Johnny nodded in affirmation. "Okay, let's go." As the group began walking towards the Curtis residence, Johnny and I stood as I helped him to arrange the girl more comfortably in his arms and we followed the others home.

_XXXXXX_

"Huh. I wonder what the Socs wanted with her. She almost looks like one." That comment came from none other than Dally. The tow headed blonde was looking at the girl like she was about to jump up and bite him, despite the fact that she was still unconscious - and had been unconscious for about half an hour.

"Naw, look at how's she's dressed. She might be middle class. Definitely not Soc. B'sides, you ever seen a girl in those kinda clothes around here? Or from anywhere?" said Two-Bit, running a finger up one of his long rust colored sideburns and looking at her, taking in her shorts and short top. Darry, Soda and I shook our heads.

"I dunno," Sodapop replied, gently placing another cold rag on her forehead.

"He's right. You don't see many girls wearing clothes like these." Darry gestured to her shorts and choice of shirts. Soda snickered and pulled the sides of the button-down shirt closed over her front.

"Yea, well. Pony," Darry gestured to me, "Go get one of your old shirts that you don't wear anymore. I think she would be, ah, more comfortable in that when she wakes up." He looked away from the nearly half-clothed girl in front of him. I grinned slightly and trotted off to me and Soda's bedroom to retrieve the shirt, almost knocking down Johnny in the process, who had just stepped out of the bathroom.

"She wake up or anything?" he asked, running his right hand through his too- long bangs. I shook my head.

"I'm gettin' her one of my old shirts so she can have some sorta dignity left when she wakes up." Johnny and I shared a grin before going our separate ways. I walked into the small bedroom that Soda and I shared and scrounged around for a clean shirt. Grabbing a semi-clean gray shirt, I walked back out and tossed the shirt to Soda who gently placed it over her still upper body.

Soda looked up at his best friend since grade school, Steve Randle, and replied, "Cute kid, huh?"

Steve just looked up from curling his hair in greasy swirls and smirked slightly. "Yea, and you're gonna do what about it?"

A low groan silenced the group. I looked up. The girl on the couch turned her head slightly, causing her brown locks to cover her face. Automatically, I sat up and push them away. Johnny looked at me and grinned, noticeably holding back laughs. I flipped him off. He chuckled and returned it in kind.

The girl groaned a little louder, and Soda placed the cooler part of the wet rag on her forehead again, gently picking her up and settling her against him. Her brow furrowed, a hand came up to her head, rubbing the spot she'd gotten kicked on, and she called out, "Brian?"

"No," Soda said, combing back her hair from her face. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head slightly, trying to dislodge his fingers.

"Jason?" she opened her eyes slightly, looking around obviously disoriented in a room full of people she had never seen before. "Uncle Carl?" Her soft alto voice began to shake - with fear or something else, I didn't know.

"Nope. My name's Sodapop Curtis and you're safe here. The Socs ain't gonna hurt you no more." he said as he took the rag off of her head. Her face tilted up, gray eyes scanning Soda's face with confusion. She scratched her head for a moment, letting the information sink in.

"Socs? What the hell?" She said dazedly, trying to sit up fully and failing as she grabbed her head with both hands and nearly fell off of the couch she and Soda had been occupying. Johnny and I, since we were both sitting at the edge of the couch, reached out to steady her. Soda gave us a strange look. I shrugged and Johnny blushed. "Where am I? What happened?" she winced. "Does anyone have any aspirin?"

I stood up. "Yea, we do. How many do you want?" She looked up at me, eyes scanning my face for a moment.

"Three, please." She replied quietly, sitting up on her own with Soda holding on to her. I came back from the kitchen with the asked-for aspirin and a small glass of water. She downed all three at once and swallowed the glass in a few gulps. "Thank you." She gave a soft, hesitant smile. I nodded at her and reclaimed my seat next to Johnny.

"Well," Darry started, standing up from his chair and walking towards her and crouching down to her eye level, "You're in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some Socs were attacking you and we stopped them from harassing you or hurting you. We brought you back home to make sure you were okay. Are you?" he added as an after thought. She nodded and winced.

_I told you to keep calm. But did you listen? Nope. _Guess it was too much to hope that the second concussion had knocked the voice out of her head. _Yea, right, like that'll keep me quiet. Sorry, kid, no dice._

She looked up at Darry in shock for a few moment then blinked for a second. "Okay, no offence, but how the hell did I get to Oklahoma from the _middle of the Atlantic Ocean!?_" she said, struggling to stay calm. I took a look around. Everyone in the room was wearing the same look of shock that she was. "What day is it, anyway?"

Soda was the first to recover. "September 18, 1963." he paused for a moment. "What do you mean?"

_And here comes the explosion._ Pepsi completely ignored the voice.

She went pale. "_1963!?_ How the hell is that _possible_!?" She shook her head and buried her face in her hands for a moment. "It's gotta be a joke. There's no way in hell…"

Darry looked at her in puzzlement. "What?"

"Last time I checked, it was September 17, _2001!_ How the _hell_…? How the hell did I go back," She paused to count in her head. "_Thirty-eight years_ into the damn _past!_" She shook her head and mumbled, "Figure that one out later." She raked her finger through her hair.

We looked at her. I spoke up. "What happened to you? What do you remember? What are you talking about, thirty-eight years?" She sighed and began speaking.

"The last thing I remember is laying down on my uncle's boat that he borrowed for the weekend so he could take me and my cousins out on the ocean to go deep sea night diving. I didn't feel like going, so I just stayed on the boat and drank some beer, got changed and went back up top.

"I laid down, watched the stars, then got back up, turned on the boat so I could listen to some of my music, and checked over everything. I turned on the radio, but before I went to lay back down, I checked the gauges and checked where we were, and we were in Latitude thirty and then the next thing I know, the boat is caught up in a current or something. Rocking back and forth and then I get knocked upside the head and everything went black." she explained, rapidly answering the questions that had been asked.

_Don't leave anything out, kid._ Like they'd believe her anyway. People didn't go back into the past…it wasn't possible.

"After that, I remember is waking up and having the five pricks walking over to me, threatening to hurt me. Then y'all coming to my rescue. Thank you." She added as an after attempt to be polite. Her gray eyes had become tinted slightly blue-green. Said eyes were filled with appreciation and nervousness. She looked down and tugged at the hem of her over shirt.

Steve looked over at her. "You got any proof?"

"Proof? Of what?" she queried, rubbing the bruise on her head. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Of what you just said. Thirty-eight years? What are you talking about?" The girl looked dumbstruck for a moment before reaching behind her and pulling out a wallet. She opened it and pulled out a card.

"Read it." she said, tossing it over to the boy. "I haven't even been_ born_ yet. I was born in _1985_." Steve looked at her before looking back at her license.

"This could be a fake." he replied, passing the white card to Dally. "See what you think." The blond greaser nodded, checking over the license.

"Looks real to me." he retorted, "You got anything else?" She nodded, rummaging in the wallet and pulling out a ten dollar bill. She looked it over for a moment.

"See? The year on it is 1976." She passed it over to Soda. "Believe me now?" her voice held a subtle edge.

_Don't be a smartass, kid. Just keep yourself calm. _She was about to mentally tell the voice to piss off, before realizing that it was right. She took a deep breath.

"She's right. The year's 1976 on this dollar." The middle Curtis brother passed it to Johnny and me. "See? It's right there." he pointed to a spot on the bill. We nodded. The girl shook her head softly.

"How the hell did this happen? I don't get it. People don't just…_appear_ out of thin air thirty-eight years in the past."

_Well, maybe if you'd actually _listen_, you would have know to expect this. _Bastard. She should have _expected_ to get sent thirty-eight years to the past. Right, whatever.

"Wow. That's quite a story. But, what's this Latitude thirty got to do with anything?" Dally asked carelessly, flipping her license back to her, causing me to slip out of the daze I had been in.

She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Latitude thirty. Bermuda Triangle. Ring a bell?"

"Nope." Dallas took a deep drag on his cigarette. She blinked.

"Oh, okay. Then we just have one small problem."

Dally looked up. "What? What's the problem?"

"How do I get back to 2001?" she asked quietly. This question was answered with a cocked-eyebrow from Two-Bit Mathews.

"Don't you know?" The girl shot him a look that said, '_If I knew, don'cha think I would have told you?_'

Soda placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You can stay here for a few days until we figure out how to get you back home. That okay, Darry?"

'_What if I _don't _wanna go home?'_ she thought silently, curling her hands into fists to stop their shaking.

_Take it easy. Hank can't hurt you here. Remember that. _That was true…considering the fact that Hank was only eleven years old at the current moment…

Darry nodded in affirmation. "Sure. Is that okay with you?" He asked the girl, who was sitting up fully and looking at Johnny and me curious-like. She unclenched her fists.

She nodded absentmindedly, "Thanks for the offer, Darry, Soda." Her eyes lit up in recognition and she smiled, then winced as she put her hand over her cheek. She slid down from her perch on the couch and looked at Johnny, then at me, as though trying to place us.

"You were the two that stayed while the others chased the pricks off, right?" She looked back at Johnny. "You're the one that kept me from hitting my head again, right?"

Johnny blushed deeply and nodded. Me and Soda shared a look. I grinned. "Yea, how'd you know?"

"I recognized y'all's eyes." She smiled shakily and looked around the room. "I already know y'all's names," She pointed to Darry and Soda, "But what's everyone else's?"

The other five boys in the room raised their eyes and began the introductions.

"Hi. I'm Two-Bit." He pulled a hand through his longish rust colored hair. He suddenly grinned, mischief dancing in his grey eyes. The girl cocked her right eyebrow and grinned in reply.

"Dally." Was Dallas's response, lighting up another cigarette. He still looked a bit wary of her.

"Steve." That was Steve's answer. He wasn't really talkative around strangers.

"I'm Ponyboy, and this is Johnny." I finished the round of introductions. "What's yours?"

She looked at me. Then at everyone else. "It's Pepsi. Well, it's Jessica Endemion on my birth certificate. But y'all can call me what ever you want. All of my friends call me Pepsi-cola 'cause barely any of them remember my real name - and I drink about one case a day." She grinned, "Or, just P.C. for short."

"Wow. That's one of Soda's nicknames." I said, smiling shyly. She quirked an eyebrow again and smiled. A real smile this time.

"Really? Wicked cool!" she replied with a calmer look in her eyes.

And that was how we came to call her Pepsi. We never fully figured out how she came to the past, to our time, but soon enough, she became part of our family.

_XXXXXX_

Revision - part two! I'm about ready to pass out, thanks to my new insomniac meds! Whoo-ho, viva Lunesta! Yea…I'm just going to go and post this. I'm going to be concentrating on the other revision chapters and the new ones, along with the one-shots.

There will be a one-shot about the conversation between Pepsi and the greasers about how she thought she came here. Plus, more actual proof from Pepsi. Yea…

G'night!

Elf Toshiba


	3. The Beginning and Some Answers

The gang and I were alternating between watching Mickey Mouse on the Curtis's TV and watching Steve kick Soda's butt at poker. Okay, maybe I should introduce who 'me and the gang' is.

My birth name is Jessica Endemion, but everyone calls me Pepsi, Pepsi-cola or just P.C. I have long dark brown hair with natural lighter highlights. My eyes are forever changing colors with the clothes I wear, but the color I was born with was gray. So that's what I tell people. I have three earrings in my left ear and two in my right. I'm five foot, three inches and sort of petite; it comes from my mother's side of the family, we're pretty much all on the short side. I've got a pretty good build for a girl. Even if I'm only sixteen.

My eyes traveled to Soda.

Then, there's Sodapop Curtis, the middle Curtis brother at sixteen-going-on-seventeen. He has long gold hair and big chocolate brown eyes that are damn near always laughing. He's a pretty handsome guy, too. And a real sweetie. He's the usually the gang's go-to guy when we need advice or just someone to talk to. He's always on the go - he works full time at a DX gas station because he dropped out of school to help Darry out with the bills - I respected him a lot for doing that. Whenever he's not there he's goofing off, almost always with Steve Randle.

My eyes followed my train of thought, glancing to the other boy.

Steve Randle has been Soda's best friend since grade school. He's a few months older then Soda and seventeen. He works at the same DX as Soda does, only he works part time as opposed to Soda's full time, since he's still in school. He can be a bit snarky to me, Pony and Johnny, but we just figure that it has something to do with us being the three youngest. He has black hair that is always in complicated swirls that he keeps beyond oiled up - and continually messes with them. So, since I love making nicknames for people, I call him 'Monkey-boy'. He hates it. I love it. I mean, think about it; monkeys in zoos are always doing each other's hair - or fur! He also has brown eyes like Soda's, only lighter in color.

My mind went to the oldest of our gang.

Next would have to be Darrel Curtis, the oldest of the Curtis brothers and of the gang at twenty. After the Curtis' parents died, Darry took over the responsibility of Pony and Soda. Again, I seriously have a high opinion of him for being willing to take care of his little brothers and not let them get put into a boys' home. He has icy blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean in early morning. He has dark brown hair with a cowlick in the back that causes it to kick out in a way that it looks like he has small wings on the back of his head. Darry has a job roofing houses and he's always coming home, complaining of sore muscles from hauling too many bundles of roofing at one time.

I snickered inwardly, as my view went towards to the Greaser sitting in front of the TV, eyes practically glued to the screen.

Two-Bit Mathews is most definitely the wise-cracker of the gang. He can take anything, turn it around and make it funny. He can make us laugh at almost anything. He's eighteen and a half and still a junior in high school - he find school to be very entertaining for some odd reason. He has rust colored hair with long sideburns and grey eyes that are never dull and always full of life. He has a small habit of smarting off to cops, shop lifting and fighting. Life, to Two-Bit, is pretty much just an inside joke. But it's a funny joke, so his life is never dull.

My mind drifted to the missing member of our group.

The toughest one of our gang would definitely have to be Dallas Winston, or rather Dally as we call him. At seventeen, he had been in jail more times then I care to count - the first time he had been arrested, he'd been only ten years old. He was a hotheaded platinum blonde with frosty blue eyes that looked out at the world with a hatred so fierce it sometimes scared me. It seemed to me, and the rest of the gang, that the only thing he cared about in the world was Johnny Cade. He cared for him like a little brother.

My eyes cut to the boy sitting on the carpet next to me.

Johnny Cade was only a few months older than me, and at sixteen, he was the pet of the gang. No one would ever hurt Johnny without having to deal with all of us. His parents were still able to, though. We tried to keep him for going to his house all the time. He has long, black hair that always falls in his face and into his big black eyes. He has a pretty messed up life at his house, I refused to call that hellish place his 'home', his mom always bitching at him and his old man always clobbering him. From this, his dark skin would always be marred with bruises and scratches from them. It always hurt the gang to see him like that.

A sarcastic quip from Two-Bit brought me back to the present. I grinned at him, not knowing the joke he'd just said, and stole a quick glance at Johnny. Yup, that cemented it. I liked him. A lot. I began to remember the first time I met him two and a half months ago, when some prick-ass Socs were trying to hurt me and the gang came to my rescue. I shook my head. I didn't feel like going back down that road. Soda must have noticed the change in my attitude.

"Hey, Pepsi, you ok?" he asked, prodding me with the toe of his sock clad foot. I looked up, nodding in the affirmative. No sense in borrowing trouble. Trouble usually found us. I withheld an irritated groan at that thought, remembering last night at work.

_Damn right it does. Seems to be your stock in trade. _The snarky voice snorted at me. I mentally flipped it off.

"Yea, peachy. I'm going for a walk, y'all. Be back in a few." I stood up and dusted off my second-hand pair of jeans from Ponyboy. Grabbing my tennis shoes, I flipped up my collar. "Any one got a cigarette?" Steve handed me one. "Thanks, man. Be right back." I walked outside, leapt from the porch and took off at a jog.

After about a block or so, I stopped and lit up. I sighed and leaned back against a fence, exhaling the smoke. I took a long drag from the cigarette and remembered what it was like back then, back in Louisiana before I got zapped here to Oklahoma. Being here, it was all in all okay. After all, I didn't get the crap beaten out of me anymore. My biggest worry were the asshole Socs.

I loved living with the Curtis', sleeping with Soda and Ponyboy, the three of us flopped together like a litter of puppies. I had started to crash in their bed when my night terrors had woken me up screaming three nights in a row. For some odd reason, having someone next to me in the bed helped the nightmares go away.

Thinking back, no one had suspected us of lying when we came up with the story of me being the Curtis' cousin. Then again, we looked enough alike - superficially, at least - to pass for blood family. I shared almost the same shade of dark hair as Darry, but my eyes were a bit greyer than Pony's. No one had really questioned it. I snapped my thoughts back to the present.

'_Current living situation, right.'_

Well, it wasn't exactly 'living there on a permanent basis' with the brothers, it was more like, I stayed there, but sometimes slept out in the lot with Johnny to keep him company or stayed at Two-Bit's - usually if I got off of work really late - or one of the gangs' houses. Even though, it was still comforting in a way to know that people that I had only met a few months ago were willing to take care of me. Even though I may be pretty much taken care of by Darry and the gang, I still got a part-time job as a waitress at the bar where Two-Bit's mum works to help out with the bills and groceries and other stuff. Hell, I might be underage, but I damn well don't look like it.

I snickered. I helped take care of them, too - usually if one of them came over to the house with cuts and bruises. Trust me, I know more about first aid then most girls my age.

I let my thoughts go back to Johnnycake. At first, his looks had reminded me of one of my old boyfriends, Jason Bilking. The guy I had thought loved me. He sure as hell had acted like it. I groaned, trying to block the unwanted memories from my mind.

_Johnny's different. You know that, Pepsi. _Eh, at least the voice had a good point this time. _I _always_ have a good point. You just never listen. _I snickered.

I heard a car door slam from a few yards away. Looking up, I took a quick drag on my cigarette. All I saw was Ponyboy and about five Socs surrounding him. I flicked away the rest of the cigarette and prepared to help out the youngest of the Curtis brothers. I viewed the scene with grown trepidation. It wasn't because they out numbered me and Pony, it was more on account of I recognized three of them from my first day here. Plus, they were in a red Corvair._'Shit…'_

_What are you gonna do about it, kid?_

My mind was snapped back to the situation when I heard the chilling words, "Need a haircut, greaser?" That was when I sprung into action. I was dimly aware of Pony screaming for Soda and Darry and the rest of the gang before I was able to get into the fight. I slugged the first guy and kneed another. I was barely hanging onto my anger before I heard pounding feet and saw the Socs racing back to the red car.

I turned back to Ponyboy, who was being hauled up by Darry. I began to walking back towards them. Arriving next to the brothers, I stepped up next to Pony and nudged him playfully on the shoulder.

"You okay, kiddo?" I asked him, grinning impishly. He looked at me, his gray-green eyes beginning to tear up. Shit, I knew how he felt. And it made me madder then anything to know that just because we were Greasers that the Socs though it gave them the right to jump us. He glanced away and wiped his eyes. I curled an arm around Pony's shoulders and pulled him in.

"Didya catch 'em?" he inquired, still concentrating on the ground. I had a sudden feeling of over protectiveness rush through me. To me, the Curtis' and the rest of the gang were my brothers and best friends. Pony was my baby brother, the one I could spoil and take extra care of. I looked up as the rest of the gang came sauntering back.

"Nup. They got away this time, the dirty sacks of shit." Two-Bit said cheerfully. Dally stepped up and looked down at Pony.

"The kid's okay?"

"I'm okay," He said, taking a deep breath and looking up. "I didn't know you were outta the cooler yet, Dally. Thought you were in for 90 days."

Dally smirked. "Good behavior. Got out early." I grinned and shook my head. Dally was always 'getting out early' from the cooler. Whether it really was on account of good behavior or that he was just _really_ good at pissing off the guards and making them kick him out early, I didn't know.

He lit a cigarette and passed it to Johnny. With that, everyone began walking back to the Curtis house and lit up some smokes, to lessen the tension. I was in the middle of Pony and Johnny, my right arm still around Pony's shoulders, my left hand with the cigarette. I passed it to him. Two-Bit was looking at Pony kinda funny.

"Nice-lookin' bruise you got there, kid." Pony touched his cheek.

"Really?"

"Nice cut, too. Makes you look tough."

Okay, let me explain. In this neighborhood, tough and tuff are different words. They both sorta mean the same thing, as in they're both compliments and all, but tough means like rough and tuff means like you got tuff clothes or a tuff something else. I wasn't in the mood to think right.

I zoned for most of the conversation until I felt Ponyboy stiffen beside me when Darry started yelling at him. I heard Soda tell him off and smiled grimly. I don't like it when Darry yells. It reminded me of my asshole of a former stepfather.

I glared at him, irritated, and loosened my arm from around Pony, letting it drop back down to my side. He knew how I felt about the yelling. Hell, the whole damn gang did. I stuck my hands in my pockets and walked towards the vacant lot. As I was walking away, I heard Darry call out to Pony to get inside and get his homework done.

"Pepsi?" I heard Johnny call after me. I turned around, walking backwards for a moment. Luckily for me, I didn't trip over the damn curb.

The voice snorted._ Yea, right. The damn curb is always the one to blame, right? _I told the voice to bite me.

"Goin' for a walk." I replied, shoving my hands deeper in my pockets and turning around to walk off. I heard someone walk up and begin to follow me.

"I'll come." It was Johnny. I shrugged carelessly.

"Okay." I was in an odd mood. I knew that the yelling had triggered some memories that I thought had died for the moment and left. I sighed again. '_Just die already, will you?_' I told the memories.

Johnny and me walked to the lot. Upon arrival, we sat down in the tall grass and lit up. Johnnycakes looked over at me, the fear from the fight in his eyes had subsiding, he asked, "Why'd ya look at Darry like that?"

I exhaled swiftly. I'd had a feeling that Johnny had wanted to ask me something, but I never thought it would be that. I looked back at him and replied, "I hate it when people yell at each other. It just - " I groaned, "Never mind. I…it's just stupid. Besides, I told y'all already, remember?" I grounded my cigarette and flicked it away and laid down, propping my head on my folded hands. I stared at the multi-colored sky as it slowly approached sundown. I heard a slight rustle and felt a gentle hand being placed on my shoulder. I let out a shuddering breath and turned to look at Johnny, forcing the tears back angrily.

_You_ know _he knows how it feels to get smacked around by people who are _supposed_ to care about him. He goes through the same damn shit that you do - did. Whatever. You need to talk to somebody about it. Why not Johnny? _Stupid damn voice actually made sense sometimes. _How many times have I told you that? _Damn voice sounded like it was practically preening.

Johnny had lain down alongside me and was looking at me with those big eyes and said, "No, I still don't think it's stupid. Tell me." I nodded and did as he asked, turning my face back to the sky and beginning.

"It all started when my mom got remarried when I was six. My step-dad, Hank, was pretty cool, or so I thought. But I didn't want to say anything because my mom was so happy. But as I got older, every time I would make a mistake, I'd get hit, or punished, or something." I sighed, gathering my strength because it was always hard, and damn rare, for me to voluntarily tell people this part of my life. Hell, the handful of people back in my time I called my close friends only knew bits and pieces of the abuse.

"I remember, this one time when I was around nine and my grandparents had just left. He - he started screaming at me because I had done something wrong, hell if I remember what, and then, just outta nowhere he threw a plate at me. It didn't hit me - it shattered on the wall behind me - but it scared me enough that I avoided him and kept my head down for about three weeks. After my grandfather died, he became even worse. Always yelling at me for every little thing I did. It usually didn't matter what, I was always bad or did something wrong. Hell if I even _knew _what I'd done wrong.

"Then, when I started doing more things around the house, like cooking and cleaning and stuff, if it wasn't perfect, I'd get grounded or hit. It went on like that for years and up until I became a teenager, none of it was really serious; just a lot of yelling, hitting and throwing stuff. But once I became a teenager, everything I did was wrong. And I mean _everything_.

"I really don't wanna go into details, but I'll give you this one. The way I ended up on my uncle's boat was, the night before, he had just dropped by outta no where just to say hi and he saw Hank hittin' me. He got pretty pissed and took me on the side and told me to pack a bag, that I was coming with him and Brian and Jason that weekend.

"And, well, that's that. Whenever I hear people screaming or yelling, it make me scared, like I told y'all." I finished, hurriedly wiping away the tear that had gotten past my defenses and streaked down my face. I shut my eyes tightly, willing the stupid tears back; I couldn't face Johnny like this, I just couldn't. An involuntary shudder racked my body and I curled up into a ball, trying to hide my shaking. All of a sudden, I felt his arms come around me, his hand petting my hair. I felt him take a deep breath.

"What was he hittin' you for?" he asked, pulling away so we were about an arms length apart. I opened my mouth and then closed it. Now, it sounded dumb.

_For a normal parent, yea, it's dumb. But for Hank? He didn't even need an excuse. He just hit you because he could._

"Because I got a stupid A minus on my damn chemistry test." I answered, lowering my gaze so I didn't have to look at him. I felt stupid. Johnny's home life was much worse than mine and here I was, bawling like a baby about it! I totally and utterly felt like an idiot. Johnny exhaled and drew me close again.

"It's okay, he ain't gonna hurt you no more." he assured me, placing his chin on my head. "The gang'll protect you."

I sniffled, and reached my left arm up to rub my eyes. Johnny's hand caught mine before it was half way and he looked suspiciously at my wrist. I glanced up and saw what he was staring at. I gasped silently and yanked my wrist away. He grabbed for it and we ended up wrestling for a few moments, me trying to yank my arm away, Johnny trying to hold me down. A few seconds later, he had me pinned under him with my wrist in his hand. I looked away shamefully.

_Told you it was a damn stupid thing to do, kid. At least you realized it about a minute after and wrapped it up. Idiot._

"When?" was all he asked, trying to catch my gaze. He grunted, and went to support himself on his elbows. He placed his free hand on my face and forced me to look at him. He looked at me, straight in the eyes. "When?"

I couldn't answer him. I was still too pissed off at myself. I didn't realize that I had begun to shake again. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could and held back the sobs, gritting my teeth together. I felt Johnny's thumb begin to caress my cheek. "Pepsi…" Then suddenly, I had to tell him. I trusted him and no one else had known or had noticed.

_Just tell him, Pepsi. You know you need to tell somebody._ Damn the little voice in my head. It was telling the truth. It really needed to stop doing that.

"I did it when I was thirteen. I - it happened after Hank kept hittin me and everything felt like it was crashing down around me. I took a blade and - " I stopped, the memory was coming back too fast and I didn't want it to. It was still too effing painful - even after three years. Johnny gently cradled me in his arms and let me shake it out.

When the trembling finally slowed and I had wiped the few tears from my eyes and face, I belatedly realized what kind of position we were in. I was on my side, on the ground, with Johnny next to me, holding me gently. I had gone back to gripping his shirt, with my head in his shoulder. I could smell soap and the shampoo he used and it made me calm a bit.

I pulled back slightly and looked over, directly into his eyes. His eyes were darker than normal and half closed. "Hey, Johnnycake?" I whispered, gently releasing my grip on his black shirt. His eyes opened and looked down into mine.

"Yea?" he asked his voice lower then normal.

"Thank you." He looked confused. That made me smile softly. "For listening. For just being here with me."

_Ha! Told you so! _Told me so what? Damn voice.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Hey, Pepsi-cola?" he asked, blushing lightly as he let go of my arm and poised himself on his arms on either side of me, lifting himself over me. I looked up, surprised at his move and the look I saw in his eyes. It was almost like…longing.

"Yea?" I replied, trying to fight the nervousness that was in my gut.

"Would you - I mean, can I…" he trailed off, blushing brighter than ever.

"Can you what?" I inquired, beginning to blush myself. I had a hopeful feeling where this was going. '_Please, please, please…_' Oh, yea, I was definitely 'in like'. No doubt about it now.

He looked down at me. In barely a whisper he asked, "Can I kiss you?" I blinked. Several times, in fact. I didn't know he felt that way! This was great!

I answered, my voice scarcely a murmur, "Yea." He looked…almost surprised as if he had expected me to tell him no. '_Maybe…he likes me too?_'

The effing voice in my head laughed. _Well, duh!_ Feel free not to share, asshole!

"Really?" I nodded and licked my lips in expectation. He leaned down and covered the distance between our lips. When we met, I felt like I was in seventh heaven. I kissed back softly, winding both arms around his neck; one of his was on my face and the other was holding him over me. I could feel our hearts racing at nearly the same speed. Something about this just…felt so _right_.

When we came apart for air, I looked at him through half lidded eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I got it out, he kissed me again. Not that I'm complaining, y'know? He began to apply more pressure to my lips and I opened them, as our tongues began to dance. He placed one hand on my waist, lying half way on top of me, and the other was still on my face, gently stroking my jaw.

We broke away again, breathing heavily. He groaned and buried his face in my shoulder and held me tightly. I tried to breathe normally again as I occupied his arms. Then, I began smiling. He looked up, his eyes glistening with curiosity.

"What?" he asked, replacing his hand on my face.

_And…cue dreamy-eyed look. _I snorted at the voice.

"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering. Where the _hell_ did you learn to kiss like that!" I responded, grinning happily at him, my hair spread out on the ground. "Damn, Johnny…" I'd forgotten to braid it, again. He beamed for a quick second then looked at me, more serious. "Trust me, I'm _definitely_ not complaining." He smiled again.

"Instinct, I guess," he replied, placing one more kiss on my cheek. I nodded and stretched. "What do we tell the gang?"

I flinched. What would the guys say if me and Johnny started going out? Man. That might make things weird. "I really don't know."

_How about the truth? Y'know Soda and Pony _have_ been thinking that something's up between you two. _Really now…I hadn't noticed. _You never do, kid._

"How about nothing for now until we figure things out between us?" was his idea, and I nodded agreeably at him. I looked at the sky.

"Damn, what time is it?" I questioned, blinking at the sudden darkness that covered the sky.

"I dunno." he answered, sitting up and pulling me up with him. Impulsively, I kissed him for it. He smiled lightly and brushed my bangs out of the way. "You staying with the Curtis' tonight?"

"Yea, I got school in the morning." He stood and offered me his hand. I grasped it and stood upright. Without warning, I was hit with a bad light-headedness. "Shit." I muttered, gripping my head and struggling to stay upright. Johnny was beside me in a minute.

"Christ, are you okay?" he asked, holding me close as he tried to pry my hands off of my head.

"Yea, yea…I'm fine." I voiced, shakily gripping his upper arms. "It was just a dizzy spell. They happen sometimes. Remember? Loads of head injuries."

"Musta been. I thought you were about to faint." I glanced at him. He did look worried.

"Johnnycake, I'm fine. Trust me. Sometimes if I do something too fast, I get really light-headed. Y'know, one too many concussions." I repeated, tapping at my temple, and grinning as I kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine."

Johnny still looked a little nervous. "You sure?"

I smirked slightly. "I'm fine. Look, see?" I stood up straight and spun in a circle, laughing. Don't ask me why, I just did. He looked a little more relaxed after I had my feet firmly under me.

_Go get some salt, kid. You know it helps._ Yea, I knew that. The doctors had drummed it into my head.

"C'mon." he walked over to me, and grasped me around the shoulders. I did a double take. "I'm walking you home." '_Home…that's what this place really is to me, isn't it?_' I smiled softly to myself.

_I told you that you would feel like that, but did you listen to me? Nope, as usual. _I could sense the smirk in it's voice. I mentally laughed. It was true.

"Oh, okay." Was my reply, I slung an arm around his waist as we just looked at each other and laughed.

_XXXXXX_

Johnny and I peeked through the window, and seeing only Darry reading the paper, we said good night and I slipped in.

"Where have you been?" he asked, looking up from the paper. I flinched slightly, not noticing the concerned tone to his voice. The memories of my past were still too fresh in my mind. _'Will they ever _not_ be?'_

_One day they will be, kid. _May that day come soon.

"In the lot, talking with Johnny." I replied, keeping my eyes focused on the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the room. I heard Darry sigh and get up from the chair. I stole a glance and watched as he crossed the room to stand in front of me. I guess he must have noticed my uneasiness because he placed a large hand on my shoulder and another under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

_How many times do I have to repeat myself, Pepsi? Darry _won't_ hurt you. _Now, there was a small trace of irritation in the voice.

I tried to keep my eyes calm for as long as I could before I looked up into his blue eyes, trying my best to look fine, like I wasn't wary of him. He must have realized it because he suddenly pulled me into a bear hug. I leaned into it, letting all the tension leak out of my body as I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed back. '_Guess the stupid voice can be right.'_

"I'm only worried about you and Ponyboy, Pepsi-cola, you know that right?" he said, pulling me back and holding me at arm's length.

"Yea. Yea, I know that. It just spooks me really bad sometimes when you yell at him, y'know?" I said, my voice shaking only a little bit. I felt Darry's arm go around me and steer me towards the couch. We sat down, facing each other.

"Why?"

I looked up sharply, dismay flowing through me like crazy. "Why what? I already told you why, remember?"

"Why does it still spook you?" he asked, the care in his eyes overriding every worry I had. "You know we're not like him."

"It just reminds me of Hank, you know that. When he used to - " I cut off abruptly, not appreciating that trail of memories. I didn't want to have a second trip down memory lane tonight. "I'd better get to bed, I have school in the morning." I stood and walked to the back. Pausing, I turned back to him. "Hey, Darry?" he looked up, eyes calm. "Thanks for caring." I smiled at him as I spun around and walked to the room that the boys and I shared.

I smiled lightly at the sight that greeted me. Sodapop was looking cuter than ever asleep and Ponyboy was looking like he was more baffled than ever. I stripped out of my tee and jeans and pulled on one of Soda's old, oversized shirts. Pony looked up at the sudden sound.

"Hey, Pepsi." he whispered, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Hey, baby." I walked over and ruffled his reddish-brown hair. "What's up?"

"Nothin'. Just thinking, y'know?" he replied, scooting over to make room for me.

I laughed quietly. "Yea, I know. G'night, Pony." I heard him sigh as he arranged his arm around my waist. I placed my head and left arm over his chest as the three of us burrowed together.

"G'night, Pepsi." he murmured, holding me tight as Soda slung an arm around him. I fell to sleep, dreaming the coming day. Oh, and of Johnny, too.

_XXXXXX_

Well, here's the third chapter, again. I hope y'all like the revisions in this one. Let me know, please! Thank you!

Elf Toshiba

Side note:

The whole 'Go get some salt, kid.' is referring, not to Pepsi's concussions, but to a genetic problem called 'sodium imbalance'. I'm serious! I was diagnosed with it when I almost toppled head over ass down two flights of stairs because of one of those dizzy spells - my butt was saved when one of my friends grabbed the back of my book bag when she saw me falling, she probably saved my skull, too. Chex-mix and very salty popcorn usually fixes it.


	4. Why School and Gym Suck

I was awakened by the bright sunlight that was coming in directly at my eyes and the fact that Soda was shaking me. I blinked up at him, and felt like smacking the happy-go-lucky grin off of his face. I am not a morning person. I groaned and yanked the covers up over my head and rolled over.

_Have you _ever_ been a morning person?_ I told the stupid voice to shut up.

"Aw, c'mon now, Pepsi. Don't be like that. We have chocolate cake!" He said happily, shaking the bed lightly that had been vacated by everyone but me.

"We always have cake. G'way." I mumbled, swatting sleepily at the perky blob that was now trying to tickle me. I was rather tired and wanted to get back to sleep. Obviously, it wasn't working. "Soda! Lemme 'lone!" I whined, twisting and turning in an attempt to get away from him.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground facing the ceiling - and cursing the fact that it was a Friday and not a Saturday and I had to go to school instead of staying at home and sleeping late.

"You're up!" Soda said happily, reaching down and yanking me up. He smiled cheekily at the death glare from hell I sent his way. "C'mon. Two- Bit might eat the whole thing before you get there!"

"Whatever." I said as I grabbed up a skirt, shirt, and under garments and made my way to the bathroom.

"Two-Bit, you even _think _about touching my breakfast, and I'll skin you alive, got it?" I called, right before I shut the bathroom door.

I sighed heavily before stripping out of my pajamas - or in other words Soda and Pony's hand-me-downs. I was lucky I was so much smaller than they were. I twisted on the faucets and waited for the water to become warm enough. Once it got hot enough, I wet my hands and started to wash my face.

I heard the voice snort. _Luck ain't got nothing to do with it, short-shit._ Bite me. I still snickered at the comment.

I grinned happily, scooping up the soap and rubbing it out into my hands, and then lathering it onto my face. I giggled - something pretty rare for me - as I remembered the lost look on his face when I said yes to the kiss. And what a kiss it had been! That boy had damn good instincts when it came to kissing.

I collected water back into my hands as I rinsed off my face before drying it off. Following my morning routine, I grabbed the toothpaste and began. After finishing, I pulled on my underwear and skirt.

I stared at the hideously ugly thing that I now wore - I hated skirts. I avoided having to wear them when I could just as easily be more comfortable in jeans. Groaning, I grabbed my bra and slipped that on, grateful I hadn't grown since I got here. I slipped on the plain white button up short sleeve top and braided my hair it and tossing it back over my shoulder.

I unlocked the door and, walking out into the TV room, was greeted by the sight of six boys lounging about the living room, listening to one of Two-Bit's crazy tales. I waved a sleepy good morning to everyone before making my way to the kitchen - and accidentally bumping into Ponyboy. His red-brown hair was still disheveled from sleep.

"Mornin'." he said cheerfully, raking a hand through his hair as I stared at him in shock. "What?"

Now, Ponyboy is the youngest of the three Curtis brothers. He's a little taller than I am, with shaggy auburnish hair and green-grey eyes that are really more green than gray. He was the youngest of the gang with me running second. He always thought that Steve didn't really like him too much, and I never really understood it, either. He's also really smart, put in some advanced classes and stuff. He always helps me with my math homework. He's also a pretty huge Paul Newman fan. He's also a dreamer - always comes up with snippets of short stories and the like. They're usually pretty damn good.

"How in the seventh circle of hell can you be so awake in the morning?" I moaned, stifling a yawn. He looked at me funny.

"You feeling okay?" he asked, trying to put his hand over my forehead. It was my turn to look at him curiously.

"Yea, fine. Why?" I tried to bat his hand away. But to no avail. I sighed in resignation as his palm came to rest on my head.

"You feel a little warm." He said drawing his hand back, concern bright in his green-gray eyes.

"Well, I_ did _just get finished washing my face." I said, a little too sarcastically. I caught the wounded look in his eyes. I sighed. "Pony, lookit." I held open my arms for emphasis. "I'm not a morning person and I don't really like being touched in the morning, okay, honey? I'm sorry for being so sharp with you." To apologize, I gave him a hug before I reached for the fridge. "We got any Pepsi?"

"Yea. Don't forget, Two-Bit's bringing us to school today." he told me, tugging lightly on my braid before he went back to the front room. I stuck my tongue out at him and took a half-hearted whack at his back before grabbing a bottle of Pepsi and popping open the top. I grabbed the rest of my breakfast - cake and some biscuits.

I walked out into the living room and plunked down beside Sodapop. I grabbed a cigarette from Dally - much to his protests - and lit up as I waved another sleepy hello to everyone while trying to eat and smoke at the same time. Pretty soon after that, Two-Bit was rounding everyone who was going to school with him up and we were off.

_XXXXXX_

Yuck. High school sucked. Majorly. I had hated it the first time, from Louisiana, but in 1963, where I was actually required to wear dresses and skirts, I disked it even more. I almost preferred the dullness of my old Catholic school uniform to this. At least, I didn't have to pick out an outfit every morning.

_Plus the fact that everyone had to wear the same clothes. _The voice said.

I sighed again, rolling my eyes and making a goofy face at Ponyboy. I was still trying to make up from my harshness this morning. He laughed softly and threw a paper ball at me. I tried my best to look indignant as the bell rang for lunch.

_Finally! Freedom! _The little voice crowed. I mentally told it to shut up, receiving a snicker in return.

Even though I was two years older than Pony, and a Junior along with Two-Bit, we still shared three classes: Creative writing, Algebra II, and English. We had just come out of our English class and were headed to Two-Bit's car to run over to the Dingo for lunch. We were more or less back to normal, shoving each other playfully, laughing and seeing who could make the most noise and piss off the Socs…real general stuff like that. It was our thing.

By the time we got to Two-Bit's car, Steve, Two-Bit and surprisingly, Johnny, were there waiting for us. I felt myself go red and grinned happily. This morning I had been too out of it - as usual - to really notice anything around me, so I hadn't gotten the chance to really see him yet. I linked arms with Pony and proceeded to skip cheerfully to the car, earning a laugh from Pony and grins from the others.

_Sometimes you really are an idiot, kid. _I gave the voice the bird.

Upon arrival, I hopped in the back, getting squished between Johnny and Pony, awaiting our arrival at the fast food diner. I had just gotten paid yesterday, and was hungry as anything. I guess I must have zoned because the next thing I knew we were there. I leapt happily from the car and raced up to the order site.

"Okay. I'll have three hamburgers, ketchup only, fries, two hot dogs, and…" I thought for a quick second, "Oh yea! Two Pepsi's!" I was becoming hyper. I get like that when I'm hungry. I was shifting from foot to foot and humming softly. Two-Bit came up next to me and looped an arm around my shoulders.

"You okay?" he asked, giving me that playful grin he always had ready.

"Yep! 'M fine." I quickly paid for the food and grabbed a table for us to dine at. Pony looked at the amount of food on my tray and muttered something about losing his appetite. Johnny just looked at it with wide eyes. Steve also looked almost sick at the amount of food a girl could put away. I rolled my eyes and pushed it to the center of the table, silently indicating that we would be sharing it.

"You really gonna eat all that?" Johnny asked, stealing a fry and dunking it in ketchup. I stuck my tongue out at him and shook my head, getting to work on one of the hamburgers. It took us about a half-hour to finish everything except the fries and one Pepsi. I was sharing the fries with everyone; occasionally tossing one to see of I could make it in their mouths. After a few minutes more, we decided that we had to get back. Two-Bit had wanted to skip the second half of school and head over to the DX where Soda was working. He asked if I wanted to come along and I declined. But, if I had known what was about to happen in Gym class, I would have gladly accepted.

_XXXXXX_

Gym was most definitely my best and easiest class. I didn't really have to do any thinking and all it really required was physical stamina, which I have plenty of. On that day, we were scheduled to learn gymnastics. I groaned at the thought. I'd always hated doing little flips and other random things like that. It just irked me that some people thought that this was the best thing in the world. I heard the coach call up for volunteers and ducked to the back. But, it didn't work.

"Pepsi-cola Curtis." she called. Oh, yea. I forgot to mention that when I began school, Darry had told me that I should pretend that I was their cousin who had come to live with them after my parents had split up. Hey, it was either that or get sent to a girls' home.

"Yes, ma'am?" I replied, stepping out from behind everyone. I heard some of the girls giggling behind me. I sighed in exasperation and walked up. The coach told me what she wanted and I performed it, much to the resentment of my peers. I heard some mutters of greaser chick and felt myself go red. Not from embarrassment, but from anger. I turned around and flipped them off. But, unfortunately for me, the teacher saw my action and made me run the rest of class. I just shrugged and jogged off to the smoke hole; she never paid attention anyway. I popped out a pack of cigarettes I normally keep in my pockets and proceeded to smoke for the rest of the forty minute class.

By the time class was over, I was ready for school to be done with for the day. I still had two more classes to go, one of which was Algebra II and I would get see Pony. I jogged back to the locker rooms and proceeded to change back into my school 'uniform'. When I turned around, I saw a tall, red haired cheerleader standing behind me. I looked at her and tried to walk around her. I was already on the defensive. I just get like that when I don't know people.

"Would you like to join the cheerleading squad?" she asked me, looking at me with undisguised curiosity in her eyes.

"No, thank you." I said swiftly, ducking around her. I felt her hand touch my right shoulder.

"Why not? After that little performance in gym, I think you'd be welcome on the squad."

_Keep your damn cool, Pepsi. Don't mouth off._

"I said no. Do you not understand that? Do you need your friends to translate for you?" I retorted, letting my natural New Orleans southern drawl show. She sort of gasped and let go of my shoulder and did this little shooing motion in the air, as though she was dismissing me. I got pissed. "Who in the hell do you think you are?"

_And, once again, you don't listen to me. Christ._

"I beg your pardon?" she said, acting as though I wasn't there anymore.

"You heard me good and damn well." I threw my books down. "Just who in the hell d'ya think you are?" I growled in anger, stepping up so I was practically nose-to-nose with her. I was getting really pissed off.

_Cool your head now, Pepsi-cola. _The voice had acquired a bit of a growl.

"I think we'll leave now. See ya." She and her little clique turned and walked off. I tried to calm myself down as I bent over and picked up my books and began the trek to Math.

"Crap." I muttered, striding forward to catch the older girl. "Hold up a sec."

She turned to look at me. "What?"

"I'm…sorry for how I acted." I said, looking at her. I received a nod in return before we went our separate ways.

_XXXXXX_

After school, I was still pretty upset about my cheerleader encounter. All it did was make me dislike those kinds of girls even more. Hell, I hated to be a hypocrite, but I _had _been a cheerleader in grammer school; it had sucked. I groaned as I leaned back on the kitchen chair and stared at the ceiling. I had changed into jeans as soon as I had gotten home. Thank god I didn't have work until tomorrow night.

I heard the front door open and slam, and I lost my balance - it's not like I have much anyway. Got hit in the head one too many times as a little kid. Amid the loud curses coming from me and the boisterous laughter, I figured it was Two-Bit that had just walked through the door. I glared at him from my position on the floor and said, as sweetly as I could manage, "Piss off." He merely looked at me before laughing again. I sighed and accidentally smacked my head on the floor, cursing even louder at the sudden blast of light from behind my eyes.

"Hey, what's - Pepsi, you okay?" Pony asked, hauling me up as I indignantly rubbed the back of my head and glowered furiously at Two-Bit as I righted the downed chair.

"Yea, friggin' peachy." I sighed again as plopped back down and rested my sore head on my folded arms. "What's going on tonight?" I looked up at him from under my bangs.

"Me, Johnny and Dally are going to the Nightly Double. You wanna come?"

"Sure, I need something to take my mind off of stupid crap, y'know?" I stood up as Two-Bit continued to grin cheekily at me. I looked at him once before knocking him upside the head none-to-gently. "What time was that movie?"

Pony grinned at me and said, "Just meet us by the corner of Pickett and Sutton."

I smiled lightly. "I'll meet y'all at the Nightly Double. I just wanna walk around for a while." I walked past Pony, ruffling his hair, and walked to the door where I grabbed my second-hand leather jacket - thank god for thrift stores - and pulled it on over my 'borrowed' button-down green plaid shirt from Darry. I waved a quick goodbye to Two-Bit and Pony as I headed out the door.

_XXXXXX_

T.B.C:

Yea, it's still short. But, I guess it was meant to be! I took out most of the animosity between Pepsi and Cherry, because, in a future chapter, Cherry helps her out with something.

Hope you like the newer version!

Elf Toshiba


	5. The Nightly Double and Pepsi's Big Mouth

-1When I had decided to take a walk, I first though about maybe going to the Dingo for a Pepsi, but my feet had other plans. I somehow or another ended up at the Shepherd's house. I knew all of them, but I was a little bit closer to Angela than I was with her brothers.

I sucked in a deep breath as I knocked on the door and, looking around, awaited the opening.

"Yea, what d'ya want?" A masculine voice asked, and I set my eyes on the owner of the voice. It was the eldest of the Shepherd brothers, Tim.

"Is Angela home?" I asked, shoving my hands into the deep recesses of my back pockets. Angela and I were sort of friends. We helped each other out when we needed it - usually in gym. She was the only other greaser girl that I was somewhat close to. The others, I guess, just made me feel out of place.

"No. How've you been, kid?" he asked, giving me an appraising look. I grinned back sweetly.

"Fine, and you? How's Curly?" I _had _been hearing some interesting rumors floating around school…

"Eh, he's in the reformatory." He smiled roguishly. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

'_Looks like those rumors were true. That's a first. Especially in high school.'_

"Well, that's the shits." I replied bluntly before turning to leave. "Tell Angela I came by, 'kay?"

"Sure, kid. You see Dallas, tell him I'm looking for him - I know he slashed my tires. See you later." he stepped backwards into the house and shut the door.

"Sure. See ya." I called back, jumping off of the porch and began my trek to the Nightly Double.

_XXXXXX_

I took a quick glance up and down the street, looking around for the fuzz before I hopped the fence. After I was certain that the cops weren't watching, I hoisted myself up and over. With a dull thud, I landed on my feet and calmly walked away from the scene of my arrival, sticking my hands into my pockets. Damn, but it was getting cold.

_Kid, you've always hated winter. It's gonna be colder here than back in Louisiana, so get used to it._ I growled in irritation. The damn voice was right. I'd _always_ hated being cold. Gimme a beautiful spring day - or even better, a_hot_ summer day - and I'd be happy.

At first, I wasn't really looking for anyone, but when I saw Johnny, standing by the concession stand, I could feel my whole face light up. I jogged up to him, trying to keep my bounciness in check.

"Hey, Johnnycake!" I said, nudging him lightly on one arm. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Hey, Pepsi. How'd you know we were here?" he asked, his dark eyes making me feel like he was looking through me. He was one of the few people who could make me feel like that.

_Wouldn't be surprised if he was the _only_one. He knew right off the bat that you had a home life like he does, Pepsi._

"I'm psychic." He gave me a skeptical look. I rolled my eyes and grinned. "All right. Ponyboy told me."

"Why didn't you come with us?"

"I dunno. Just wanted to take a walk, I guess." I looked down and shoved my hands back into my pockets.

I suddenly had this overwhelming sense of fear so powerful, that I gasped and felt tears spring to my eyes. I let loose a low swear and stumbled forward. Johnny must have noticed my sudden change of posture, because he grabbed me around the waist and dragged me behind the stand as I kept my eyes on the ground. I felt him place my back against the stand. I was just concentrating on getting my breathing back to normal.

"What happened?" he questioned, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at him. Now, Johnny is not forceful by nature - but he is a bit protective of me and Ponyboy - and this threw me for a second. He caught the startled look in my eyes and drew me into a loose hug, his arms around my waist, mine around his neck. "Are you okay now?"

_You_really_ need to start paying attention to those feelings, kid. They'll come in handy one day. _Well, if a certain _someone_ would tell me what the hell they were about, maybe I could _do_something about them! _You need to figure them out on your own, Pepsi._

"Yea, yea." I replied shakily, leaning more into the embrace and placing a feather light kiss on his neck. "I'm fine." I rested my head on his jean-clad shoulder. I shut my eyes for a moment. '_Damn it. I thought those had stopped!'_

_Nope. Sorry, kid. Like I said, you need to learn to figure them out._Asshole voice again.

"You scared me." I looked up, and into his eyes. They were filled with a slight fear. I smiled bleakly.

"Sorry." I muttered, pulling his lips down to mine. The kiss was pure and sweet, just like him. We just stood there for a few moments, our mouths pressed together, acting like there were no problems in our lives for the moment.

When we pulled back, he slung an arm across my shoulders and said curiously, "Sorry about what?" I laced my fingers though his and shrugged.

"For scaring you." I replied, as we neared the spot where Pony and Dally were sitting. With two girls in front of them. I stopped short and Johnny sent a questioning glance my way. "Damn it." I grumbled under my breath. I gave his hand a quick squeeze and plopped down beside Dally, curling up my knees so Johnny could get past. "Hey, Dallas."

"Hey, kid." He replied, looking over at me. "Where ya been? Pony said he told ya we would be here."

"I went for a walk. Shepard's looking for ya. Something about his slashed tires?" I was absentmindedly glaring at the back of the redhead's head. "Hell…" She stiffened as Dally gave me a curious look.

_You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?_ Nope.

"Well, if it isn't the greaser from Gym class." She muttered sarcastically. I scowled and propped my feet up on the back of the chair next to her.

"Well," I said, mocking her tone, "If it isn't the Soc from Gym class. How's your boyfriend?" My voice turned cold.

The redhead spun around, looking at me oddly. "What about him?"

"You really don't know?" I snorted dryly. The boys looked at me curiously.

_XXXXXX_

Ponyboy could feel the pressure riding in the air. He had known something was up, especially after Pepsi had come into Math class after gym. She had been burning with disturbance. He and Johnny shared a look. They both knew not to mess with her when she was acting like that. And the way her eyes had changed from their normal grey to match the shade of her shirt let them know that the next person to say something would get yelled at. And loudly.

"What do you mean?" Cherry asked, looking at Pepsi warily.

_Kid…don't go there. You won't want to deal with the consequences. They'll be bad._ Pepsi told the voice to fuck off.

"You really don't know what he does in his spare time?" Pepsi asked, grabbing up a cigarette from Dally's pocket, putting it in her mouth and lighting up.

"Why, should I?" the older girl queried. Pepsi snorted at that.

"Maybe you should ask him." she said, looking away, seemingly concentrating on the movie in front of her. The boys knew that she was slowly approaching her boiling point. The only thing they couldn't figure out was why - and how to stop her before she let it loose.

"Maybe if you say _what _I should ask him, I would." the other girl snapped, glaring at Pepsi.

"What is your problem?" Dallas hissed, jostling Pepsi with his elbow. Her eyes had snapped down to the older girl and were flashing furiously.

"He owns a blue mustang, doesn't he? And one of his friends owns a red Corvair?" she stated, looking Cherry right in the eyes and leaning forward. Pony felt Johnny tense beside him. "Ask him if he and his_friends,_" she growled the word, "have a habit of attacking greasers and harassing the greaser girls. If he says no, I'll give you a clue: he's a damn liar." the younger girl snarled. "You wanna know how I know? He and some friends gave me one_ hell_ of a damned greeting the first day I got here." Pepsi stood up, glancing over at Johnny, Pony and Dally.

"It took me a while to figure it out, but I _did_ recognize him after a few days at school." The brown-haired girl calmly walked off, her fists still clenched tightly.

Johnny stood up to go after her. Pony grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"Let her cool off. She'll probably got to the lot or to my house. She'll be fine."

_XXXXXX_

As I stormed off, I couldn't think of anything else except that I had actually told the girl that her boyfriend and his friends had attacked me. God! I had to learn to control my temper or else I could get hurt. Me, or someone else.

_Shit! Goddamn hell! You need to get a new filter between your brain and your mouth, kid. Or, how about this: learn how to keep your trap shut!_ I told the annoying voice to piss off. _Right, and let you get hurt. _It snorted. _You're gonna get the shit beaten out of you if you keep this up. You know how the fucking Socs are. _The effing voice was right again. Damn it.

I slowed for a second to catch my breath and I realized that I was at the lot. I decided to stop there and rest for a while. I plopped down on the ground and lit a small fire to keep myself warm. But, before I knew it, I had fallen asleep - and was welcomed into the land of dreams by my old fears, my nightmares. Before I could fall too deeply into them, I felt someone shaking me awake.

_Yea. Wakey, wakey time, girl. Keep the past in the past. _Sometimes, I hated that damn voice.

"Wha-?" I mumbled, still fighting with some shapeless blur from my memory. I opened my eyes slightly and relaxed as I saw only Johnny and Ponyboy.

"You awake now?" Pony asked me, handing me a slightly bent cigarette. I lit up and nodded.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just the usual nightmares." I leaned against Johnny and gazed at the sky. I pulled Pony up next to me. "Where were y'all?" I felt them both abruptly go ridged and Ponyboy pulled away. "Pony?" I asked in concern.

"We were walking the girls home." He replied absentmindedly tossing things into the feeble fire, his face turned slightly away from me as though he expected me to start yelling at him. I let out a sigh and poked him, causing him to look at me. I smiled slightly at him.

"Pony, that girl's boyfriend is bad news. I just…I don't wanna see you two getting hurt, y'know?" I shot Johnny a look and sat up next to Pony. I placed an arm around his shoulders and he cuddled into me for warmth as we both gazed steadily into the fire. In the distance, we could hear two people fighting - Johnny's parents, again. I sighed as I glanced back at him and was surprised to see he was near tears.

"I can't take much more of this, y'all. I feel like, I'll kill myself or something." he said, choking on his own sobs. I felt like hell when he said that. Me and Pony looked at each other before sitting on either side of Johnny and trying to comfort him. So I did the one thing I knew worked with comforting people - I wrapped him up in my arms and just held him, speaking soothing words to him. Pony looked up at me and I opened my other arm and held the two boys close as Ponyboy put his head on my shoulder.

"You can't kill yourself. It'll be okay, Johnny." I heard Pony say. I nodded my head in agreement. I was starting to get drowsy again. The last thing I heard was Ponyboy saying something and a conversation blooming between him and Johnny about the country.

_XXXXXX_

It must have been a long while later when I felt Johnny wake up and start shaking Pony. Through my vague consciousness, I heard Ponyboy getting up and muttering something about Darry. I yawned and stretched, realigning myself with Johnny.

_You got it bad, kid._ Yea, kinda figured that out for myself, thanks very much.

"You okay now, honey?" I asked, laying my head down on his shoulder and drawing sleepy designs on his chest. He nodded and began to play with my hair. Then he snickered.

"'Honey'?" he asked, gently tilting my chin upwards.

_You're an idiot sometimes. _Eh, bite me.

"Yea." I muttered, my cheeks starting to burn. Ever since I had gone to an all girls' school for a part high school, I had gotten into the habit of calling people pet names. I felt him begin to chuckle.

"Okay, kid." He slid his arms around my shoulder and held me close as I kept my head across his shoulder and curled into him, listening to his heartbeat. I was nearly falling back to sleep by the time we heard Ponyboy come careening into the lot.

"C'mon, y'all. We're runnin' away." he said, yanking me and Johnny from the ground and taking off at a run.

"Pony! Would'ja wait up a sec?!" I called out, holding on to a stitch that had formed in my side. Damn, but that kid could run. After a few more seconds, we came to a stop and Ponyboy practically collapsed onto the curb and buried his face in his arms. I looked up at Johnny.

"Ponyboy, baby? What happened?" I asked, sitting down next to him and pulling him into my arms.

"It was Darry. He hit me. Everything fine until mom and dad died, now he can't stand me!" Pony cried, keeping his arms firmly locked around his knees. I felt myself go totally cold at his words.

"What?" I asked in a scared voice. But Ponyboy only shook his head. He lifted it after a moment.

"Gotta cigarette?" he asked. Johnny nodded and passed us both one. "Johnny, Pepsi, I'm scared." He said, trembling ever so slightly.

"Don't be, man. You're scaring me. I ain't never seen you bawl like that."

"I don't very often. It was Darry. He hit me. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't take him hollering at me and hitting me too. I don't know…sometimes we get along okay, then all of a sudden he blows up on me or else is nagging me at me all the time. He didn't use to be like that." Pony trailed off, relaxing more into my hold on him and unwrapping his arms from around his knees and coiling them about my waist.

"I think I like it better when the old man's hittin' me." Johnny said, sighing and running his hands through his hair. "At least I know he knows who I am. I walk in that house, nobody says anything. I walk out and nobody notices. You got Sodapop. I ain't got nobody." I sighed myself this time and, standing up with Pony, took a hold of both the boys.

"Look at us. Bitching about our lives. We got each other, don't we? That's all that matters right now, y'all. The present. C'mon, let's go for a walk and then me and Pony'll head home and deal with Darry." I turned slightly to Johnny. "Johnnycake, you coming?" he shrugged.

Ponyboy looked up. "Yea. Let's walk to the park and back, maybe by then I'll be cooled off enough to go home."

"Okay." Me and Johnny said in unison as we started walking. I paused and looked up at the night sky. It was still beautiful, with the slightest hint of color way out in the east. I looked again at Pony. He had a large red mark across one cheek, and the way he kept rubbing it, I knew it still hurt. I remembered when I had gotten a similar hit like that. I sighed again and trotted to catch up with the boys.

T.B.C.

Well, here's another chapter that I've gotten rewritten. A good friend of mine is going to be my new beta! Yay!

I'll be updating soon as I can. I've got a couple more one-shots bouncing about in my brain, so I'm gonna try and get them written out. I'm out!

Elf Toshiba


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